Intellectual Merit: This project builds on the joint work of two projects: The Paradigms in Physics Project, a complete redesign of the physics major, and the Vector Calculus Bridge Project, an effort to bridge the gap between the mathematics and physics of vector calculus.
The focus of this project is on the upper-division content in the area of electromagnetism. The goal is to increase the usability of the materials in four distinct ways: improving the effectiveness of the classroom materials; continuing development of a resource wiki, including descriptions of sequence of activities; adding narratives and video of classroom practice; and creating a modular online text. Both the text and the wiki are designed to be modular, allowing maximum flexibility in use. Both also contain a "meta" layer extensively documenting multiple pathways through the individual modules. The wiki further encourages faculty users to design and document alternatives, tailored to the needs of their own students. Pilot versions of all four pieces have been tested by instructors both at Oregon State University and elsewhere; extensive feedback is guiding further development.
This project includes an established team, an experienced science education researcher, recent adopters of the materials, a National Advisory Panel, and an external evaluator.
Broader Impact: The primary goal of this project is to provide online resources to a large audience, with most of the resources freely accessible to the general public. In the long run, the materials generated by this project can be used by many students and faculty well beyond the immediate adopters, both in the classroom and for professional development of TAs and other teachers. Furthermore, project research results and case studies are being disseminated to the education research community, not only on the project website, but also through presentations at conferences and publication in appropriate refereed journals.
This award continued the joint work of two very successful projects: The Paradigms in Physics Project, begun in 1997, and the Vector Calculus Bridge Project, begun in 2001. Written materials produced by these projects include more than 250 group activities and class notes for 20 separate courses. The Paradigms in Physics Project completely redesigned the upper-division physics major in order to better present the content the way professional physicists organize their own expert knowledge. In addition to a rearrangement of content, grouping topics by paradigmatic ideas rather than traditional subdisciplines, the junior-year courses are short but intensive, with an emphasis on active engagement. This redesigned curriculum is intended to remedy drawbacks of conventional curricula by using a variety of pedagogical techniques and by applying insights into the cognitive structures that are being constructed by advanced students. While some of these techniques are inspired by those that have been successful in lower-division physics instruction, many are new. Upper-division students must deal with problems of greater complexity and must learn to see patterns that cross the boundaries of traditional physics disciplines. In addition, we foster students' evolution into professional scientists by encouraging students to: draw conclusions from experiences with natural phenomena, exercise individual judgment, pool insight with peers, synthesize information from a variety of text and computer-based material, and document and communicate results appropriately. The major goals of this part of the project were to improve our classroom materials, to create a modular online text, and to develop a resource wiki with extensive documentation and video footage. In addition, we expected to influence the broader community through direct influence on our students, faculty, TAs, and visitors, through public availability of our resources, and through dissemination of our findings through conference presentations and publications. A supplement to the original award allowed us to host a workshop in June 2014 on the status of the upper-division physics curriculum. The goal of this workshop was to broadly assess the current state of curriculum development and education research in physics at the upper-division level, using expert participants to identify goals in electromagnetism, quantum mechanics, and thermodynamics. The workshop attracted more than 50 participants, including representatives from professional societies and the National Science Foundation. A summary report is available on the conference website. The Paradigms in Physics group published 3 traditional textbooks in 2012.A complete version of the project's fourth textbook, covering vector calculus and early electromagnetism, is now freely available online, and is in current use in Paradigms (and other) courses. A distinctive feature of this textbook is the use of multiple tables of contents to provide different paths through the material, such as would be appropriate in typical mathematics or physics courses, respectively. The layout of the resource wiki has been streamlined, with improved crosslisting of our many activities. We have added detailed narrative descriptions, complete with video clips. In addition, our electromagnetism materials have been successfully linked to comPADRE, the physics arm of the National Science Digital Library, complete with appropriate metadata. In addition to the 4 co-PIs, project staff included 15 undergraduate students (including 2 University Honors College thesis students), 2 graduate students, 2 postdocs, an external consultants, and an external evaluator, as well as a 4-member National Advisory Committee. Members of this group participated in numerous conferences and workshops, including the annual meetings of the Mathematical Association of America and the American Association of Physics Teachers. They published 5 peer-reviewed journal articles, along with 8 peer-reviewed reports in conference proceedings, on various aspects of the project. Further information is available on the project's websites: Resource wiki: http://physics.oregonstate.edu/portfolioswiki Online text: http://math.oregonstate.edu/BridgeBook 2014 workshop: www.compadre.org/SUPC
